An Arkansas police officer was fired on Wednesday (August 8) after a group of black males posted their viral video of him telling them, “you don’t belong in my city.”
According to KATV, the termination comes just two weeks after the video was posted Tuesday (August 7) on Facebook by one of the black males, Demarcus Bunch. The video reveals an encounter on July 21 between Officer Michael Moore and the group, as Moore attempted to thwart the group of black males’ rap music video production in England, Arkansas, about 30 miles south of the state capital Little Rock.
The video shows that 28-year-old Bunch initially asked Moore, “Why are you following us?”
“You know why?” Moore replied. “Because you don’t belong in my city.”
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Bunch then stated to Moore, “We’re from here.”
Moore then said, “But you understand, I know who my people are, right? Who belongs here and who doesn’t? We’ve got gang wars going on, we’ve got all kinds of stuff. I come from the big city where this stuff is small, okay? So, that’s cool. Do your thing.”
“You said we don’t belong in your city, though?” Bunch replied.
Moore answered, “Can I say something? OK … I have never seen you here before, and I know almost everybody here.”
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Bunch then relayed to Moore that he is a native of England, and went to high school in that city.
“Well good for you, my name is Mike Moore, OK. I’m not from here,” the now unemployed man retorted. The officer subsequently warned the men to stand clear from his police cruiser so he could let his police dog out.
Bunch told KATV that he felt the encounter was unnecessary, and subjected to racial profiling. He also dismissed Moore notion about gang wars in England, and that most of the people know each other in the town of approximately 3000 residents.
“If you look at the news every other day it’s racial profiling, stereotyping and senseless killings for young black men. And had I not been recording and he didn’t have his camera, who’s to say what would have happened,” Bunch said.
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He added, “That’s stereotyping. It’s probably based on the vehicles we were in, maybe how we were dressed.”
Bunch said that he showed the video to his family first, and then claimed that he filed the complaint with the city’s police chief. Then he said that the lieutenant followed up with him to begin the case’s investigation. However, Bunch ultimately decided to post the video on Facebook after several days of no follow-up from the England Police Department because he claims to have never received a copy of the complaint.
Arkansas Fraternal Order of Police’s president stated he was unaware of the incident because there is no chapter located in England. The Southern States Police Benevolent Association, which includes Arkansas, have no comment on the case at press time.
Moore, 59, also has a reputation that precedes him for being temperamental. He was also fired in 2017 from the Lonoke County Police chief in Arkansas for having a negative attitude, and only served on the force for 10 months before being hired by the England Police Department.
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